The author begins by analyzing three sources of prejudice-stereotypes, omissions and distortions. She made a distinction between the definitions of racism and prejudice. In the first portion, she points out that racism is a system that favors whites in profound ways that most of us do not begin to realize. The second part asks the reader the question of whether racism is a word that applies only to the whites. She answers by defining racism as white superiority therefore it is most relevant to be applied to whites, however racial prejudice can exist in all people. Lastly she mentions that racism actually results in large economic costs to the society…
White privilege is a hidden and transparent inclination that is often challenging to address. Only upon closer inspection do we see how it perpetuates a sense of entitlement, it generates perks and advantages for white people and elevates their status in the world. In Feagin and Vera, “Confronting One’s Own Racism”, they argue that the 'declining significance of race' theorists are at odds with the empirical evidence, which underscores their argument that racism is alive and well in America. Compelling evidence is presented, showing the racial inequalities in education, health, employment and income, which result in the fact that blacks are three times as likely as whites to be living in poverty. For Feagin and Vera the primary factor lying behind the social condition of blacks in America is white racism, defined as the 'socially organized set of attitudes, ideas, and practices that deny African Americans and other people of color the dignity, opportunities, freedoms, and rewards that this nation offers white Americans'.…
In Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s lecture on “The Sweet/Sour Taste of Color-Blind Racism in Post-Racial America” he argues that in current times racism still plays a key role in America, but now racism is more subtle and nuanced than it used to be. He argues while there are still some instances of the Jim Crow like injustices, for instance police brutality, that the new institution is appears to be, “subtle, institutional, and seemingly non-racial”. For instance, to prove this point he recalls an experience he had a Macy’s were the store clerks repeatedly came up to him asking him if he needed any help. And even though he admits this might sound non-racial when you first hear it because it sounds like the clerks are treating him nicely, when I thought about it and reflected on my experiences at a store, I…
This chapter is based on two types of stories which are story line and testimonies. Story lines as the socially shared tales that are fable-like and incorporate a common scheme and wording (124). Testimonies are accounts in which the narrator is a central participant in the story or is close to the characters in the story (124). The book talks about four major story lines of color-blind racism. The first one is “The Past Is the Past,” which mean that people must put the past behind them. It is also a such term call ex affirmative action that do a reverse by letting the racial flame be alive. The respondents feel as if it is necessary to let go of the past and move forward and to also forget about what happened back then. Next is the “I Didn't Own Any Slaves,” this statement is to let others know that the generation now is not responsible for the ills of slavery. These respondents felt as what slavery got to do with today race. And that Blacks does not need to be played for anything. Then another story line is “If Jews,…
In the first chapter of his book Racism without Racists: Color-blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva argues that color-blind racism, a new racial ideology which emerged in the late 1960s (16), has become “a formidable political tool” for “the maintenance of the racial order” and “white privilege” in the “post-Civil Rights era” (3). According to his argument about color-blind racism, in contemporary America, although few whites appear like racists, racial inequality does exist everywhere (2). Racism changed from “overt means” of discrimination to “subtle and institutional practices” (3). “Nonracial dynamics” become “white common sense” about explanations…
Bell, Derrick, from Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism (Basic Books, 1992), D’Souza, Denish, from The End of Racism: Principles for a Multiracial Society (Free Press, 1995) “Issue # 9: Is Racism a Permanent Feature of American Society?”…
“Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex” written by Angela Y. Davis, illustrates the dehumanization of imprisonment and how it not a way to solve social issues. For example; she mentions homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, and mental illness issues. Davis discusses about prisons not being helpful to people who have certain social issues, mainly to minorities and colored people. She talks about racism and how they see all color people as criminals by giving racialized assumptions. Prisons, according to Davis, are now profit organizations that seek money instead tackling down these social issues.…
Both of your topics seem very interesting. If you chose reverse racism to talk about, I think you can bring up very interesting points in your project to explain them to your readers such as does the reverse racism really exist? Does that mean that people who used to that privilege can learn from losing it, and becoming equal to those who lacked it before? To explore this subject, you should explain what first the term reverse racism means. Many people around the world have had several bad experiences with racist so giving extra details and more explanation would help the readers grasp the significant of the topic.…
In this article by Beverly Daniel Tatum, she uses her various life experiences to show the issues that come along with attempting to define racism in America. There are several external issues that come not only from defining racism, but with separating racism from prejudice. In dispelling preconceived notions that these two words are interchangeable, Tatum makes several distinctions in the meaning and application of the two words in everyday life. Before going further into the separating factors of the two words, Tatum discusses how unintentional our prejudices can be. Throughout her article, Tatum makes an effective argument about the defining of racism and its existence both as an active player in society, and a dormant fixture intertwined in the fabric of American culture.…
The history of the United States of America is rooted in hypocrisy. In the words of the Declaration of Independence, the world we know was founded on "equality, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Yet long before the founders of the country met to draft the Declaration of independence, they infringed on the same principles and rights of others that they sought for themselves. Beneath this shining light of freedom and equality is the infrastructure built on the premise of power, control, and oppression. Structural racism is policies, and practices that create barriers to opportunities and racial disparities.…
Living now in the 21 century you may see many types of cultures and ethnicities. As for these types of races we have become numb to the feeling of racism. For a particular reason racism has been going on for centuries. Depriving people from what they have and what they look like is a characteristic of racism. As for now racism seems to be becoming bigger and bigger. Due to labeling races and its importance to society today.…
|Reverse discrimination |To be discriminating toward members of a dominant group or to be in favor of the minority group. |…
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than the opposite.” Nelson Mandela, a leader of the fight to end apartheid in his home country of South Africa helps shed light on how racism can be fought in the United States. Even though America has come a long way from the times of slavery, racism continues to exist all over the country. Americans can learn to love one another, but they must first discover the roots and causes of racism and stop it before it spreads. In order to deal with racism, Americans often: refuse to accept the facts, accept it as a way of life, and do not do enough to stop its practice.…
In the past decade, racism has changed along with how society has changed. For example, in today’s society, it is rare to see a store, restaurant or anyone who just will not serve anyone because they are black; however, it can still happen. In society today, world racism is taken and given in a different way. When the Internet came into play during the 21st century and social media following not far after, the characteristics of racism changed. Author Emily Fekete writes in her article Race and (Online) Sites Consumption, “Geographers have noted the increasing role of the Internet and social media in everyday life (Zook and Graham 2007; Elwood 2011; Kitchin and Dodge 2011; Stephens 2013)”. Not only has social media increased, but in doing this,…
People who don’t believe in reverse racism believe that you can’t be a racist to a group of people who have privileges such as White Privilege. White Privilege is a set of advantages and/or immunities that white people benefit from on a daily basis beyond those common to all others. White privilege can exist without White people's conscious knowledge of its presence and it helps to maintain the racial hierarchy in this country. This is one of the few reasons a certain amount of people don’t believe in the existences of reverse…